Tenten's Revenge: Hinata's Birthday Party
by mosaicpuzzler
Summary: Sequel to "Rock Lee's Surprise Party". Tenten wants to take her revenge on Neji... in the form of public humiliation! Takes place at Hinata's birthday party with all our favorite ninja! MILD pairings: ShikaTem, NaruSaku, KibaHina, SasuIno, LeeTen
1. Phase I: Blackmailing Neji

**Tenten's Revenge: Hinata's Birthday Party**

_**The Sequel to Rock Lee's Surprise Party!**_

**By: happiness101 (with help from family members)**

**Summary:** Tenten wants to take her revenge for Lee's disastrous party out on Neji… in the form of public humiliation! Takes place at Hinata's birthday party with all our favorite ninja!

**Rating:** K

**Category:** Humor

**Disclaimer:** We don't own _Naruto_ or _Hannah Montana_.

**Just a warning: This one has **_**mild**_** pairings. Very, very mild! Just letting you know, these are suggested: ShikaTem, NaruSaku, KibaHina, SasuIno (I guess), and LeeTen (especially LeeTen). But again, there's no fluff or anything! Just little things here and there! **

**Also, I'd like to dedicate this story to the people who read and/or reviewed "Rock Lee's Surprise Party!" Some of these people include the ever-awesome DeepBlueInk (HAPPY BIRTHDAY), CountryCullenist11 (Now LoveNaruto12), RikusAngel, and anyone else who read my story! I hope you like this one even more! I'd also like to thank my awesome family for the support and wonderful ideas!**

* * *

**The Diabolical Plan, Phase I: Blackmailing Neji**

_Exactly a month later…_

It was two days after Christmas in Konoha, and Tenten decided to brave the frigid weather to visit the Hyuga Manor. She had still neglected to take her revenge on a certain member of the household, and it also just happened to be Hinata's birthday. She knocked on the door, and a surprised Hiashi answered it.

"Oh, good morning, Tenten! Hinata's party won't start for another eight hours! Besides, she's not home at the moment."

"I know. I came to see Neji, actually. Is he home?"

"Neji? Well, yes, but…" Hiashi was further confused at Tenten's request, since Guy was on a mission and Neji and Tenten usually seized the opportunity to be away from their teammates. "…Did you want to train with him today?"

"No, I just wanted to tell him something. May I come in?" When Hiashi nodded, Tenten stepped inside and removed her shoes.

"Neji is in his room, still brushing his hair, I presume." Hiashi gestured up the stairs, and Tenten thanked him, trying not to laugh at the memory of when she had first caught him in the middle of brushing his hair. He had started to complain about how he had lost count and if he didn't brush it two hundred times exactly, it would get frizzy for the whole day. She walked up the stairs, hoping she wouldn't have to hear that lecture again.

* * *

"…133, 134, 135…" Neji stroked his hair, time after time, completely content. Suddenly, he heard someone enter his room. Neji was quite annoyed by this, but ignored them. If it were Hinata or Hanabi, they would grab what they wanted and leave. "…158, 159, 160—" He didn't get to 161 though, because he was abruptly tackled to the floor. He was so startled he didn't have time to activate Gentle Fist. He didn't have to, though, for his attacker quickly released him.

"YES! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!" Neji sat back upright, and was shocked to see that his visitor was none other than Tenten, holding up his latest pair of Christmas socks he had been currently wearing.

"TENTEN! What the heck are you doing here?? Why did you tackle me?" Neji asked, although he already knew the answers.

"I am exacting my revenge! Remember last month, at Lee's disaster of a surprise party? You completely made a fool of me!!" Tenten grinned mischievously, flourishing his socks, "But now that I have these… I can embarrass you right back!"

Neji's eyes widened, not believing he could be so careless. He knew his reputation would take a huge blow from those socks. They were red (as usual), but Hinata had made them especially elaborate this year. She had sewn 'Neji' in gold, curly writing on them, and a Santa Claus button was sewn into them also. If you pushed its nose, it would say 'ho, ho', but Neji wasn't about to tell Tenten that.

"Wow, these are really ornate! Does Hinata always put this much effort into it?"

Suddenly, what Tenten said made Neji have a light bulb moment. _Maybe Hinata is even more diabolical than I thought! I should've killed her when I had the guts!_ "Tenten, please don't. I'm very sorry about the party; isn't that enough?"

Okay, I won't reveal this to the world…" Neji sighed in relief at Tenten's words, "…_If_… you sing "Life's What You Make It"…"

Neji gasped in horror.

"…At Hinata's birthday party tonight…"

He started to hyperventilate.

"…WITH LEE!!"

Neji nearly had a heart attack, but fainted instead. Tenten smirked, conceding that her work was done. She left, on her way to the training grounds, were Lee would undoubtedly be.

* * *

**For my returning readers, thank you for reading, and please review! I believe this one is better than "Rock Lee's Surprise Party!" If you are new, then also enjoy and review if you can! And I'll ask you nicely to read and review "Rock Lee's Surprise Party!" too, but you don't **_**have**_** to.**

**The song "Life's What You Make It" is by Hannah Montana, so I obviously don't own it. I'm just thinking worst possible scenario here. (Not to say that Hannah Montana is the worst singer in the world, for those of you who might be Hannah fans…)**


	2. Phase II: Throwing Rock Lee Into the Mix

**The Diabolical Plan, Phase II: Dragging Rock Lee Into the Picture**

When Tenten arrived at the training grounds, Lee had already put a good-sized dent in the tree he was practicing on. Tenten approached him, feeling bad for the tree. "Hey Lee!"

He turned at Tenten's greeting and smiled. "Good morning, Tenten! Have you come to join me in training?"

"I'd love to, but I have some… important errands to take care of. But Neji asked me to carry a message to you."

"Oooh, please explain what my eternal rival has to tell me!" Lee was bouncing up and down in excitement now.

_How could he be this energetic at ten in the morning?_ Tenten shook her head, but continued on with her plan. "Well, Neji wants to give something personal to Hinata for her birthday, so he's decided he wants to sing to her… and he wants you to sing with him!"

"NO WAY!!!!!!!" Lee was jumping even faster now.

"YES WAY!!!!!" Tenten cried back. "He's planning on singing "Life's What You Make It", but he said he's open to any preferences—"

"NO, THAT IS PERFECT!! I _love _that song!! It expresses the message of youth like no other!!" Lee was practically jogging in place now.

"That's great! He said to go tell him in person if you agreed!"

"OKAY!! If I cannot reach him in one minute…!" Tenten didn't hear what ridiculous punishment he was going to bestow on himself if he didn't, for he was already a fifth of the way there. Tenten smiled as the dust Lee kicked up cleared away, imagining what Neji's face would be like when Lee reached him.


	3. Phase III: Cornering Neji

**The Diabolical Plan, Phase III: Cornering Neji**

Neji finally woke up from his fainting spell five minutes after Tenten had left his house. Remembering his dilemma, he raced down the stairs, startling his uncle, who was calmly drinking some tea.

"L-Lord Hiashi! Um, you wouldn't happen to know where Tenten was going, would you?"

"Um, no, I'm afraid not." Hiashi was staring at Neji, who was visibly strained. He was struggling to keep his voice under check, and his hair was starting to stand on end, due to his lack of brushing. "Neji, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just… need to go out for a walk…" Neji struggled not to bolt for the door, and made slow, rigid steps. He planned to tell Tenten that he did not agree with her terms, and rather have his socks revealed than to suffer worse mortification, such as singing karaoke… he gulped, …with Lee.

He slid the door open, and someone suddenly collided with him. Having been knocked down for the second time that day, Neji was quite irritated.

"YES!! Fifty-seven seconds!!" Lee cried from on top of Neji. He scrambled to his feet, and then helped Neji up. "Hello, Neji! How has your day been? So anyway, I heard you want me to sing with you!"

"What?? Oh, did Tenten tell you that? Well, you see—"

"Oh, Lee, it's you. Are you supposed to be doing something with your team today, Neji?" Hiashi asked, having joined them in the doorway. He was starting to get suspicious about these spontaneous visits.

"We are going to sing at Hinata's birthday party today!!" Lee blurted out, before Neji could stop him.

"Oh… how… _interesting_. Neji, I didn't know you knew how to sing." Neji was about to disagree, but Lee cut in once again.

"You do not have to _know_ how to sing! Music comes from the heart!!"

"I see… I'm sure it will turn out nicely." Hiashi turned to Neji. "Why don't you go practice at _his_ house?" Lee started to get more excited at this idea, and Hiashi wanted to get his nephew's energetic friend out of his house as soon as possible. He walked away, and muttered, "I don't think I could stand much more of this…"

"ALRIGHT!! Let us get started on our act for the party!" He pulled Neji outside, and nearly toppled Ino over, who just happened to be walking by at that time.

"Geez, watch where you're going!" Ino brushed herself off, even though she hadn't even fallen. "Anyway, what's this talk about an act for tonight? Is it something I should know about?"

"Neji and I are going to sing at Hinata's party tonight!!" Lee explained, once more beating Neji to the answer.

"Oh, that's good to know! I just happen to be in charge of the schedule for the night, so when were you thinking of going on?" Ino pulled out a clipboard from nowhere, and started to jot down some notes.

"WOW!! What a wonderful twist of fate!! Right, Neji?" Lee turned to Neji, who looked about half-driven mad.

"_Oh yes_, a twist of fate indeed!" Neji rolled his eyes, suspecting that Tenten was behind the corner, egging Ino on.

"Okay… well, I can get you guys in at nine thirty. Does that work with you?" Ino inquired.

"9:30 it is!! That will be time for Neji and me to shine in our youthful glory!!" Lee waved goodbye to Ino, and continued to pull Neji in the direction of his house.

_9:30,_ Neji thought in dismay, _the time of my eventful death._

* * *

**Poor Neji. I don't know why I love to pick on him so much. Him and Kankuro… (If you read my first story, you know what I'm talking about.)**


	4. The Return of Might Guy

**The Return of Might Guy and the Singing Contest **

Meanwhile, Team 7 was taking a break at Ichiraku Ramen. They had all been training extremely hard that day, so Kakashi decided to treat his pupils to a bowl of ramen. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto were happy about the food, but they were even more eager to finally see Kakashi's face that was usually hidden behind his mask. They held their breath, staring intently at their sensei's face, as he broke apart his chopsticks. Kakashi almost told them to stop staring, but decided to ignore the attention started to pull down the cloth, and everyone leaned in even closer.

"HEY, SAKURA!!" Ino unexpectedly ran into the ramen shop at that moment, nearly toppling everyone out of their stools. "Oh, sorry for startling you."

"No problem! Want some ramen?" Kakashi held out his steaming bowl, "I haven't even touched it."

"Sure, I'm not on a diet right now, so…" She gratefully received the soup and sat next to Sakura, who, along with her fellow teammates, were glaring at Ino in frustration and disbelief. "What are you guys all looking at me like that for?"

"You…! Ino-pig!!" Sakura growled.

"We were so close!!" Naruto whined.

"Hmph. This was a waste of time." With that, Sasuke drained his bowl and then left the ramen stand.

"Well, sorry guys, but I have the most interesting news ever!" Ino put her hand up next to her mouth, even though she was talking loudly. "It's about Hinata's party tonight!"

"It better be worth it!" Sakura crossed her arms; even though she _was_ curious about what Ino had to say.

"Well, as part of the entertainment, Neji and Lee are going to sing for us!!"

"WHAT??" Everyone cried at the same time. Even Ayame gasped from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I know, right? You would never think of Neji as a singer!" Ino smiled, enjoying the shocked expressions of the people around her.

"B-but! Don't you think Hinata would be against this?" Sakura asked, suspecting Ino of making it up.

"Well, I'd imagine that Hinata would have to invite Lee, because of Neji, and she couldn't really stop it. Besides, Tenten told me specifically to book them!"

"Whoa, this is awesome! I _have_ to tell everyone!!" Naruto ran out, on his way to tell every ninja he knew.

"Um, well, I see you two have some catching up to do, so… I'll be going! Good job today, Sakura!" Kakashi followed Naruto out, wondering what the world was coming to. When he had left Ino and Sakura chattering away far behind him, he decided to read his book. He was leaning against the nearby post, peacefully reading his book when his 'rival', Guy, sprinted up to him.

"Kakashi, my esteemed rival! I have just returned from my mission, and am again ready to do battle with you!"

"Oh, hello Guy. Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt if it's brief." Kakashi closed his book, dreading what Guy would want to do this time. "It's your turn to pick."

Guy stroked his chin in thought, "Hmm… let me see…"

"Oh! By the way, you probably haven't heard about Lee and Neji!" Guy looked at him, mildly worried, which confirmed Kakashi's statement. "They're singing at Hinata's party tonight. Did you know that they could sing?"

"MY TWO YOUTHFUL PUPILS ARE SERENADING TOGETHER?? HOW WONDERFUL!!" Guy suddenly forgot about what he was challenging Kakashi for, and had an urge to see Lee and Neji work together in harmony (which was quite rare). "When will this spectacular event take place?"

"Um… at Hinata's party…?" Kakashi suggested, not really knowing the details on time.

"I see… I will stake out at the Hyuga Mansion all day if I have to!" Guy turned to Kakashi once again, "But first… you and I will partake in a heated karaoke match! Whoever gets the most applause will win!"

"Karaoke…? Really…?" Kakashi didn't get a reply, for Guy was already dragging him to the center of the village. Most of the civilians were already gathered there, so when Guy started singing, they all stared at him. Kakashi tried half-heartedly to identify the song he was singing, but came to the conclusion that he had simply made it up. Once Guy finished, everyone around them was staring in stunned silence. He had been extremely horrible, and some people's ears were starting to bleed. A few people were chuckling under their breath.

Guy as a little disappointed at the silence, but then quickly recovered. "Okay Kakashi, it's your turn to give it a try!"

"But I don't know any songs…"

"Sing anything! Hurry up, the people are waiting!" Guy pushed the reluctant Kakashi forward, and the crowd looked at him expectantly.

So, Kakashi, wanting to get it over with quick, decided to sing the one song that he knew by heart: the alphabet. "A… B… C-"

"NO KAKASHI, I KNOW YOU ARE BETTER THAN THAT!! YOU ARE MERELY TALKING!! _SING_!!"

Guy was starting to seriously get on Kakashi's nerves, so he belted out the alphabet like his life depended on it. When he finished, everyone was staring at him in silence, but a much different silence than the one they gave Guy. Guy, with tears running down his face, started to clap excessively. Then the whole crowd erupted into cheers, and some of the ladies even fainted.

"BRAVO, KAKASHI!! YOU MOST CERTAINLY HAVE WON THIS TIME AROUND!!" Guy gave Kakashi a pat on the back. "I can see that you do not only have skill as a ninja, but also a gifted singer! But be wary… I _will _win our next challenge!"

"Um, thanks… I think I'll go home now…" Kakashi started to head in the direction of his house, glad to finally have the singing competition behind him.

"Okay! Until we meet again, Kakashi Hatake!!"

* * *

**Okay, let me just say that I wrote this chapter before I even saw the episode "Gotta See! Gotta Know! Kakashi-Sensei's Real Face!" (If you haven't seen it yet, check it out right after you finish reading my story. It's hilarious.) They totally stole my idea! At least it wasn't **_**exactly **_**the same. And yes, Kakashi is a very good singer. He is also drop-dead gorgeous, which is why he wears that mask of his.**

**THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO READ!!**


	5. The Human Tripwire

**The Human Tripwire and the Spread of Gossip**

While Kakashi and Guy were still enduring their little competition, Naruto was running like mad through the streets of Konoha, looking for someone to blab to. He was just about to start looking in the Academy when he was tripped by something. He ended up flat on his face, and incredibly embarrassed.

"Hey, what gives? Can't a guy just take a nap peacefully once in a while?" Naruto looked behind him, and saw a very annoyed Shikamaru lying on the ground. Shikamaru was what he had tripped on.

"What are you talking about? You can't just go lying around in the middle of the street like that!" Naruto stood up, wiping the dirt from his pants.

"I can take a nap wherever I want to."

"Shikamaru, sometimes you…! But anyway, have you heard about Neji and Lee??"

He looked up at Naruto, not moving from his current position. "No, not recently."

"Well, they're singing at Hinata's birthday party tonight!" Naruto exclaimed, relieved to finally have told someone.

"What? Are you sure you heard that right?" Shikamaru asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that seems pretty crazy, Naruto." Choji suddenly joined the conversation, munching on a bag of potato chips.

"I'm not kidding, guys! We should go watch!" Naruto was making shifty eyes, suggesting that they were going to sneak in.

"What are you guys talking about—" Sasuke approached Naruto, but was tripped by Shikamaru. Naruto started laughing at him, but Sasuke caught himself and flipped right side up in the air. He landed on his two feet, with barely a sound, looking very cool as the wind whipped his hair. A group of girls walking by swooned, and collapsed to the ground. Naruto scowled.

"Honestly Shikamaru, do you really have to lie in the middle of the road like that?" Sasuke inquired, wiping the dust from his hands.

"Just because you're all that doesn't mean I have to listen to you, Sasuke." Shikamaru closed his eyes, wishing away his company.

Sasuke was slightly miffed at his words, but decided to let it pass. "As I said before… what _are_ you guys talking about?"

"Naruto says that Lee and Neji are going to perform at Hinata's party tonight." Choji answered, since Shikamaru obviously didn't want to.

"Perform? As in…?"

"Singing, I guess."

"…Knowing Naruto, I'm sure he just misheard things." Sasuke shook his head, dismissing this as true.

"WHAT?? You were there when Ino told us about it!!" Naruto had stopped sulking, and was starting an argument with Sasuke off the bat.

"I left before she said anything, remember? You're hopeless." He shook his head. "Anyway, is anyone planning to witness this event?"

"See, you _are_ curious! Well, you can tag along, if you really want to…" Naruto tried to strike a cool pose like Sasuke, but didn't succeed.

"…No thanks. Maybe I'll stop by to just experience it, but not with you."

Before Naruto could once again protest, Temari and her brothers joined the crowd. Unfortunately, like the others before her, she didn't notice the boy currently lying on the ground before her. To her further misfortune, her legs just happened to be longer than the other ninjas'.

Shikamaru was almost asleep, when he suddenly felt someone step on his stomach. His head snapped up, making contact with something else hard. "Aaagghhh!"

"What the—?" Temari collapsed, since Shikamaru had hit his head right on her knee, and toppled over Naruto in the process. In turn, Naruto knocked down Sasuke, who knocked down Choji, in domino formation. The result was a giant mess of people, all moaning profusely. When the dust cleared, Gaara and Kankuro were trying desperately not to laugh at the sight before them. Temari immediately shot them a look, and they both stopped smiling.

She stood up and brushed herself off. "What was that??? I walk barely twenty yards into the village, and I'm tripped by this lazy bum!" She looked around furiously, until she found the source of her anger. She grabbed Shikamaru by the scruff of the neck and pulled him to his feet. "YOU! What do you think you're doing, lazing about like that! You're such a lazy, good-for-nothing…" Temari went on and on, but it was useless. Shikamaru had already completely tuned her out. _How troublesome,_ he thought, gazing sluggishly at Temari's face, giving the impression he was actually listening, _of all the girls who had to step on my stomach… it just _happened_ to be this one. She's worst than my mother, with her nagging! _Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Shikamaru, Temari threw him to the ground, crossing her arms. There was an awkward silence, in which Sasuke considered leaving, but then Naruto spoke up.

"Hey, did you hear that Neji and Lee are going to sing tonight?"

"What? There's no way." Gaara didn't know Neji that well, but he didn't take him for the type to sing in front of a crowd. Lee, on the other hand, would totally do that.

"Seriously! At Hinata's birthday tonight!"

Gaara smirked, wanting to get back at Neji for the way he was treated at the birthday party a month ago. "Well, that sounds like fun. I think we should go watch."

"What would be the point of that?" Kankuro was taken aback at this decision.

"I just said it would be fun, Kankuro."

"Hey guys, I have to head to Hinata's anyway, since I'm supposed to help decorate. Let's go!" Temari motioned towards Hinata's house, and they took off.

"Did I hear you guys say something about Hinata's party?" Kiba and Shino walked over, but didn't trip on Shikamaru (for once). Tired of being kicked, he had finally decided to stand up. Kiba continued, "Are you going to her party, Naruto?"

"Well, we weren't exactly invited…" Naruto admitted. "But I hear that Neji and Lee are singing there, so I was thinking of crashing it!"

"Hinata didn't invite you, Naruto?" Shino questioned, "She said she was going to invite you this year…"

"I guess she got cold feet," Kiba murmured to himself.

"What? She was going to invite me? Why? I don't even know her that well!" There was a moment of silence where everyone was staring at Naruto, not believing his oblivion to Hinata's obvious feelings towards him. The silence was ended abruptly though, when Kiba realized what Naruto had just told them.

"Wait… did you just say that Neji and Lee are going to sing _together_?" When Naruto nodded, Kiba chuckled. "That'll be a sight to see."

"Yeah, totally worth crashing a party for, right?" Naruto was still trying to recruit people for his infiltration scheme.

"Huh? Well, you _could_ crash it, if you want to. You could also just come like a regular person." Shino suggested.

"WHAT?" Naruto whined.

"It was implied at the announcement that anyone could come! Weren't you listening at all?" Kiba frowned at Naruto, who was trying to remember hearing that, and wasn't achieving. _He's such an airhead… I don't get what she sees in him…_

"Hmph! Well, you can expect us to be there, right guys??" Naruto turned toward the boys behind him, who were already starting to forget why they were still there. They mumbled a few agreements, not really knowing what Naruto had asked. "YES!! We will now commence with Mission Party Crashers!!"

"So you _are_ crashing the party?"

"NO! Shino, why do you have to be so difficult—" Naruto was cut off by Shino's cold stare. You couldn't see his eyes from behind the dark sunglasses, but it was intimidating all the same. "Okay, we will now commence with Mission… um… any ideas guys?"

No one said anything, all thinking that it was stupid to come up with a name for such a simple task.

"…Okay, we'll see you guys there. Oh, and don't forget: It's a formal party, so wear your best clothes!" Kiba announced, as Shino and he started to walk off.

"Aw, why?" Naruto complained. Shino shot him another leer, and Naruto instantly stopped talking. "R-Right, formal wear! I'll be the spiffiest among all of you, believe it!"

Everyone groaned in unison.


	6. The Preparations

**The Preparations**

When Temari arrived at Hinata's house, it was already being decorated with streamers and other colorful things by the other kunoichi. When she walked through the door, Tenten got off her ladder and went to greet her.

"Hey Temari! Glad you could make it! We just got started, so you can help me with the ribbons." Tenten handed her a roll of the decorations and they got to work. Temari also saw that Ino, Sakura, and Hinata were setting up tables and cooking food. She received the ladder from Tenten and got to work.

"So, I hear that Lee and Neji are singing tonight." Temari said casually, although she _was_ a little bit interested.

"Oh, you heard that? Wow, word travels fast! Well, yeah, I got them to agree to that."

"I never took Hinata's cousin as a singer."

"Oh, he's not." Tenten reassured her.

Temari raised her eyebrows. "Then how did you get him to do it?"

"Remember Lee's birthday party last month?"

"Unfortunately, yes." They both cringed at the memory.

"Well, this is my way of getting revenge. I told him that if he wants to keep his special Christmas socks a secret, he had to do this." Tenten grinned.

"What, so you're blackmailing him?" Temari was even more surprised at this.

"Well, if you put it that way… I guess you could say that." Tenten shrugged, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

There was a long pause, and Temari finally said, "…You scare me sometimes, Tenten."

Tenten ignored this and said, "Oh, thanks for bringing that up! I forgot to tell Hinata!" She turned to Hinata, who was in the kitchen. "Hey Hinata! I have something to tell you!"

"Yes, Tenten? What is it?" Hinata's head popped out from the kitchen doorway.

"I know I told you I'd book an awesome music act for your birthday, but things didn't really work out. Instead, I got Neji and Lee to sing you a Hannah Montana song!"

Hinata stared at Tenten in disbelief. "…Y-You're joking, right?"

"No! Don't worry though; just think of it as a comedy act!" Tenten reassured her.

"Yeah Hinata, it'll be fun!" Sakura added, walking over to Hinata.

"B-but Neji doesn't like to sing! E-Especially Hannah Montana!" Hinata protested, completely horrified.

"Come on, Hinata! Now's your time to get back at your cousin for every time he's mistreated you! Aren't you looking forward to that??" Ino joined Sakura and Hinata in the kitchen.

Hinata blushed a little. "W-Well…" She thought of all the times Neji had looked down on her. Despite her better judgment, seeing him in public humiliation didn't sound so bad.

"See? I knew it! So just enjoy your special day, okay?" Ino smiled in triumph, and Sakura just sighed. _If Hinata keeps hanging out with Ino, she'll become corrupted, I'm sure of it._

"Okay, we're done with the streamers! What next?" Temari and Tenten got off the ladders, and joined the others around the table.

"Well, the cake is done, so I guess we're finished." Hinata was just about to sit in the nearby chair, when Ino pulled her back up again.

"Are you crazy?? We're far from done! We still have to get everyone looking good for the party tonight!" Ino motioned to Hinata's clothes, which were now covered in flour.

"Come on Ino, give the girl a break! She just got done baking a cake, which is much more strenuous than it looks." Sakura put her hand on Ino's shoulder.

"Yeah, besides, it's only the other boys that are coming." Tenten shrugged.

"…Including Sasuke." Ino added.

Sakura looked down at her clothes. There were pieces of paper stuck to her, and she was sure she was covered in glue. "What are we waiting for?? Let's get into some dresses that'll knock the guys dead!"

"YES!!" Ino grabbed Hinata's arm and pulled her to the bedroom. Sakura started to follow, but noticed that Tenten and Temari hadn't budged.

"…Well, aren't you guys coming?"

"There's no way you're getting me into a dress," Tenten explained, "I've worn a dress once; when I graduated from the Academy. My dad made me."

"I don't like getting dressed up either. I'll just stay out here with Tenten." Temari was about to pull up a chair, but Sakura grabbed her arm.

"Oh, no you don't! You _both_ are getting into a dress!" At these words, Tenten tried to run for the door, and Temari tried to follow her, but Sakura had a firm grasp on her. "INO, GET TENTEN!! SHE'S MAKING A RUN FOR IT!!"  
Ino burst from the bedroom door, hair down and with a brush in her hand. Since only one hand was free, she tackled Tenten before she could get out the door. Ino dragged her up the stairs, while Tenten screamed about killing everyone.

Temari sighed, giving up. If they were _this_ serious about getting her dressed up, she might as well not resist it. Sakura pulled her along behind Ino and Tenten, where certain doom would reign in the hands of Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno.


	7. The Party Begins!

**The Party Begins!**

A few minutes before the Hyuga Mansion's doors opened to the party that lay beyond, the boys were all arriving in their tuxedos. A few people had to rent them, since they didn't have the money to actually buy one, and formal dress was mandatory. Everyone's was black, the standard color, except for Naruto's and Lee's. Naruto was wearing a bright orange suit with a blue tie, much like his regular outfit. Everyone tried to avoid looking at it, since it could effectively blind you for a few minutes. Lee's was green with a red tie.

The remaining Sand Siblings had also arrived, both with their weapons still on their backs. When the others gave them an appraising look, Kankuro explained. "Hey, you never know when someone's going to attack you."

"Neji looks like he might snap any minute," Gaara added under his breath. Neji was breathing heavily, and his hair was still in disarray, much to Lee's disappointment. They had been brushing it for hours, but Neji knew from the start that it was no use.

Finally, Sakura opened the doors, welcoming the boys in. She had put her hair up in an elegant bun for the occasion, and was wearing a green dress that matched her eyes perfectly. "Welcome, guys! Wow, I didn't know you were all coming!"

Everyone said hello as they walked into the room, which had been decorated with all kinds of colorful things by the girls. Ino, who was wearing a purple dress, ran straight to Sasuke.

"Sasuke, you look great in a tux! How do you think _I_ look?" Ino said, her arm tossed around his shoulder. He only huffed in reply.

Lee went straight to Sakura, much to her contempt. She had wanted to get to Sasuke before Ino. "Sakura, you look beautiful tonight!!"

"Um, thanks Lee. It's nice to see you in something other than your spandex once in a while." Sakura replied.

"Huh? Oh no, I'm still wearing it underneath!" Lee pulled down his collar an inch to demonstrate his point. Sakura glimpsed a hint of green before Lee started talking again. "You never know when you will have to defend yourself! Neji tried to spring a surprise attack on me on the way here, but I was prepared! He is such a good rival and teammate!" Lee frowned suddenly remembering something. "Speaking of teammates… where is Tenten?"

"What? You mean she's not down yet?" Sakura turned toward the stairs, and yelled, "TENTEN!! GET DOWN HERE NOW!!"

"No way!" Tenten's muffled reply came from farther up the stairs.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Excuse me for a second." She ran up the staircase, and the slamming of a door and yelling was heard. This had attracted everyone's attention, and they all stared as Sakura wrestled Tenten out. Tenten fell off the side of the railing, and landed face down on the floor. Everyone was wondering if it was appropriate to laugh, but then they all gaped when Tenten got up. She was wearing a red dress with slits down the side of the lower part of the dress, partially revealing her legs, with her hair down.

The room was completely silent, everyone still gaping. Tenten narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "If _any_ of you laugh, I _will_ kill you."

That snapped everyone out of their reverie, and they meekly nodded. Tenten walked awkwardly towards Hinata, who was smiling at her. All the boys absentmindedly wiped their nosebleeds away on their sleeves.

"Tenten, you look great in that dress!" Hinata exclaimed, as Tenten approached her. "Every boy here has a nosebleed now, you know."

"Come on, they're all just trying not to laugh at me." Tenten looked around the room self-consciously.

"Are you kidding? Here look, I'll show you!" Hinata pulled Tenten over to her fellow teammates, Kiba and Shino. "Hi guys!"

Kiba and Shino turned to face the two girls. "Hey Hinata and… um… who are you again?"

"TENTEN!! I'm Tenten!!"

"Oh. Sorry, I couldn't recognize you under all that make up." Kiba explained, slightly blushing.

"So, Kiba… how do you think she looks?" Hinata asked.

"Uh… um… y-you look great, Tenten! So do you, Hinata!" Kiba blushed even deeper.

Hinata gave Tenten an I-told-you-so look, which she ignored. She was watching Temari, who had just come down the stairs in a stylish black dress. Sakura, who had a visible bruise on her cheek from when she wrestling with Tenten, escorted her. Tenten said a quick goodbye to Hinata, wanting to get out of the awkward situation, and walked towards Temari. On her way there, Lee joined her.

"Hi Tenten! You look great!" Lee exclaimed.

"Thanks Lee. You don't look too bad yourself." Tenten surveyed her teammate, and mentally noted his evident nosebleed for later elaboration. "Are you and Neji still going to sing tonight?"

"You bet! We are both very excited! I am sure everyone will be impressed!" By this time, they had reached Sakura and Temari.

"See? Aren't you glad I pulled you down here?" Sakura asked Tenten.

"No." Tenten scowled.

"Sakura, did you just get that bruise?" Lee pointed at the mark slowly darkening on Sakura's face.

"Yeah, Tenten gave me that when I tried pulling her down. Ino has a similar one on her arm. Man, Tenten, you hit hard!"

"Tenten, I do not think you should hurt your friends that way. Please apologize to Sakura right away!" Lee demanded.

"Lee, are you asking for a matching one?" Tenten glared, tensing her hand.

"Tenten—"

Suddenly, they heard Temari break out into laughter. Sakura let out a sigh of relief at the diversion. She didn't want to be in the middle of an argument between teammates. She looked at what was making Temari laugh so hard.

"Oh…oh gosh!! Tenten… you… you gave my brothers nosebleeds!" Temari pointed to her two brothers, who were starting to blush as Tenten scrutinized them. They did indeed show evidence of previous nosebleeds, but they had wiped it away pretty quickly.

It was becoming increasingly uncomfortable between everyone, so Sakura decided to save the day. "I-I see that you came armed. That's really unnecessary, you know."

"Well, you always have to be prepared for battle." Kankuro quickly jumped into the conversation, glad to get rid of the embarrassing moment. Lee nodded, agreeing.

"Y-yeah, Sakura! Being a weapon-specialist, I'm also armed right now!" Tenten smiled, unaware at what she was admitting.

"What? You are?" Everyone asked at once, bewildered.

"O-Oh! Well, yeah…" Tenten stared at her feet, blushing. There was another gauche pause, and everyone wondered where she was hiding her kunai and who knows what else.

To the group's relief, Ino made an announcement at that moment. "HEY, EVERYONE!! Thanks for coming!! Now our first event is a ballroom dancing competition! You may choose your partners, or you may sit out. You have two minutes to make your decision. I HAVE DIBS ON SASUKE!!" Ino rushed towards Sasuke and clutched his arm.

"Dang it!" Sakura stomped her foot, and almost trampled Naruto.

"Hey, Sakura, want to be my dance partner?" Naruto inquired eagerly, beating Lee to the punch.

Sakura considered this for a moment, and then realized that if she doesn't accept Naruto's offer, then she'll have to dance with Lee, so she reluctantly agreed. They went off to talk to Sasuke and Ino about how they were totally going to beat them.

"I'm out." Gaara stepped to the opposite side of the room.

"Right behind you." Kankuro followed his brother out.

"Hmm… whom should I dance with…?" Temari wondered, and then spotted Shikamaru. _He'll do._ She approached him, and passed Hinata, who was feeling a little defeated about not being able to dance with Naruto at her party, like in all her dreams.

"Oh… it looks like you missed your chance with Naruto. Sorry about that, Hinata." Kiba said from behind Hinata, who was staring wistfully at Naruto.

"O-Oh… yes, well… I'm not sure I would be even brave enough to ask him anyway… Well, I'll get out of your way." Hinata was about to leave, but then Kiba abruptly put his hand on her shoulder. She turned quizzically. Kiba held out his hand, his head turned the other way. "Kiba…?"

"Well… do you need a dance partner, then? I know you've been practicing and all… And I'd hate to see all that practice go to waste!" He turned to face her, and gave her a huge smile.

"Um… you don't have to…" Kiba frowned, and then Hinata quickly added, "…but I _have_ been practicing for a long time!" Kiba grinned again, and they went to the other side of the room.

Meanwhile, Temari had reached Shikamaru, and turned him to face her. "You are going to dance with me."

"No way! That's such a drag…" Shikamaru started to follow Choji to the other side, but Temari pulled him by his tie and brought him only inches away from her face. "Let me be a little clearer: YOU ARE GOING TO DANCE WITH ME OR I WILL KILL YOU."

Shikamaru murmured, "Troublesome woman…" But let himself be dragged to the side with couples.

Lee was devastated that he had missed Sakura, but turned hopefully towards Tenten, the only girl left. "Tenten, would you please dance with me? I have been practicing, and I want to win!"

"No way! You know I'm an awful dancer!" Tenten took a step back.

"Please?"

"No!"

"Please Tenten?"

"No, Lee!"

"It would be an honor!"

"…Fine. But if you're going to dance with me, you better make me look good!"

Lee chuckled, "I do not think you need any help with _that_ tonight!" Suddenly realizing what he said, he slapped a hand over his mouth.

Tenten smirked, secretly enjoying the compliment. "…I'm just going to pretend you never said that."

"Said what?" Lee questioned innocently, his face completely blank as he pulled Tenten towards the couples' side.

* * *

**Ah ha ha! I'm probably the only one laughing right now… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that chapter and keep reading! I just realized that Hinata was a little OC in the beginning of this chapter, but like Sakura said, she's being corrupted by Ino.**


	8. The Ballroom Dancing Competition

**The Ballroom Dancing Competition and Lee's Mad Skills!**

Once everyone was on their desired side, the competitors turned out to be Sasuke and Ino, Naruto and Sakura, Kiba and Hinata, Shikamaru and Temari, and Lee and Tenten. Everyone on the other side, which consisted of Shino, Choji, Gaara, Kankuro, and Neji, were in charge of deciding the winner.

"Okay, everyone set? Starting the music… now!" Ino pushed play on the radio, and everyone started dancing.

Sasuke and Ino were off to a great start, but then Sakura and Naruto started running into them purposely. They both knew they were way too klutzy to win against them, so they decided sabotage was the best course of action. The judges eliminated them, since they were going to have a fight of some sort if they proclaimed either of them the winner. They moved on to watch Temari and Shikamaru, but Temari was yelling at Shikamaru for stepping on her feet so much, so they mentally crossed her out, too. Kiba and Hinata were doing decently, with the occasional accident of stepping on one another's toes. At each time they did this, they would apologize then laugh. They seemed to be having a genuinely good time. And then there was Lee and Tenten…

Tenten was completely terrified at dancing in public, and couldn't believe she had actually accepted Lee's invitation. _It's that darn tuxedo! It's messing with my mind!_ She felt herself goof up, and was about to fall, but she didn't. _What? I thought for sure I was going to trip…_ She did the same thing again, but once again stayed upright. The third time, she paid special attention to her feet, and saw Lee's leg catch hers and put it back in the position it was supposed to be. She gasped and looked up at Lee, who smiled in reply. "I promised to make you look like you could dance well, correct? Just leave it to me Tenten, we are going to win this thing!"

Back with the judges, they were deciding on the winner.

"I think that Lee and Tenten should win. I mean, they haven't even messed up once!" Choji motioned towards the pair. Shino nodded in agreement.

"Okay, Lee and Tenten are the winners then! Let's just wait until this song is over—"

"What? Did you just say Tenten was going to win? She can't dance for her life!" Neji cut off Kankuro, and got out of his chair to see the situation for himself. Sure enough, his two teammates were dancing flawlessly. Curious, he used his Byakugan to see what was really going on with their feet, and was amazed by what he saw. "Why, he's dancing for them both!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kankuro asked, confused.

"Whenever Tenten makes a wrong step, Lee fixes it with his foot faster than the untrained eye can see!"

"That's quite extraordinary…" Gaara murmured to himself. _You have once again proven yourself to be quite impressive outside of the battlefield, Rock Lee._

"Nonetheless, he is still the best dancer here." Shino pointed out.

Everyone nodded in agreement, and motioned for the competitors to stop.

"Okay, so we decided that the winner is Lee and Tenten." Kankuro stated, without much enthusiasm.

Lee, on the other hand, was extremely excited. He burst into joyous tears, hugged Tenten, and proceeded to run around the house like a madman. He ran up the stairs and they heard him shout, "MR. HYUGA, I WON THE DANCING CONTEST!!!!"

"How did you even know where to find me? And please release me!" Hiashi demanded, disappointed that Lee had found him. _I thought for sure that no one would discover me in the closet…_ Luckily for him, however, Lee returned downstairs and hugged everyone else, even Neji and Gaara. Then he kept running around, until Tenten went over and smacked him. He then meekly returned to his spot, but still fidgeted around a bit.

"Okay then… since I'm sure dancing has worked everyone's appetite up, we will now eat dinner! This way, please!" Ino motioned toward the dining room, and everyone followed.


	9. The Dining Room Table & Random Seating

**The Dining Room Table and Random Seating Charts**

When everyone arrived in the dining room, their eyes immediately surveyed the huge table. It had a seat for each of them, each having efficient elbowroom. They started walking forward, but Ino stopped them. "Hold it right there! The seating will be randomly arranged tonight!" Everyone groaned, and Ino pulled out a jar with slips of paper in it. "Everyone will choose a piece of paper, and will sit at the table accordingly. You _may not_ switch places with someone! This exercise is to get to know people that you haven't gotten to know. Now, ladies first!" All the girls stepped up to the jar, and pulled out a number. Hinata got the number thirteen, and sat in the according seat. Tenten got twelve, and gratefully sat next to Hinata. Next, Sakura picked four, and Temari got one. They all sat in their appointed seats, and Ino drew hers. She received a number three, so passing the jar to the nearest boy, which happened to be Gaara, she sat in the chair next to Sakura.

"Okay, now the boys pick!" When no one stepped up, Ino and Temari screamed, "SHIKAMARU, GET UP THERE NOW!!"

Shikamaru shuffled through the crowd of boys, wondering why he was the only one who had two blondes bossing him around. He picked a number from the jar, and secretly hoped that he wasn't sitting with Temari or Ino. So, of course, he picks a two. He sighed, and looked behind at the anxious crowd of boys behind him. "It was nice knowing you all." With that, he trudged over to the table and took his seat between Temari and Ino.

"…I'm not hungry." Shino stalked off, going to do who-knows-what.

"Well, I guess I'll go next." Choji, while munching on a bag of potato chips, pulled out a ten. He took his seat across from Ino, who was silently fuming that she didn't get Sasuke.

Sasuke casually reached for the jar next, but Naruto decided that he needed to be first. He swiped the paper from Sasuke's fingers, and held it high in the air. "Ah ha! You let your guard down, Sasuke! What are you going to do now, huh?"

Sasuke shrugged, and pulled another paper out without a word. He got the number fourteen, and sat next to Hinata. Sakura huffed in disappointment.

Naruto scowled, and read his paper. _Why does Sasuke always have to be so cool?_ He took his place at chair eight, right across from Temari.

Lee could no longer stand the suspense, so ran up and swiped a paper from the container. He crossed his fingers behind his back. "Come on, _anything_ but Sakura!"

Sakura gasped, remembering the Chunnin Exams, and how his reverse-psychology wishing had worked last time. _Please don't work—_

"YES!! NUMBER ELEVEN! MY REVERSE-PSYCHOLOGY HAS WORKED YET AGAIN!!" Lee ran up enthusiastically and took his seat next to Tenten and across from Sakura. Lee waved, "Hi Sakura! Since we are eating together, I will now consider this a date! I will not let you down!" Sakura buried her face in her hands. Tenten followed suit, but she did because she would have to listen Lee flirt all night.

Neji decided to go next, deciding that the worst that could happen was that he would sit with Tenten. He drew a number nine, and let out a breath. _I guess the world can only be so cruel in one day. _He took a seat across from Shikamaru, who was starting to dose off.

"I'm getting this over with…" Gaara chose the number seven and sat across from Sasuke. He handed the jar off to Kankuro.

Kiba and Kankuro, being the last ones, reached into the jar next. _Come on, across from Hinata!_ Kiba said, as he peeked at his paper. Kankuro did something similar, and thought, _Come on, NOT next to Gaara! Oh wait— maybe I should've done what Lee did—_

"…Five." Kiba said with dismay.

"…Six??" Kankuro said in disbelief. _Of course…_

Kiba and Kankuro looked at each other and mouthed, "Lucky". Kiba sat next to Sakura and across from Tenten, and Kankuro sat next to him, glancing warily at Gaara. He wasn't paying any attention to Kankuro at the moment, and stared off in space. Kankuro looked across the table at Hinata, who was cowering a bit, since she didn't know him at all. He smiled weakly, and Hinata tried her best to smile sincerely back.

She leaned over to Tenten, and whispered, "This guy is kind of creepy…"

"I'm sorry, Hinata. I'd trade with you, but I'm afraid Ino might rip my head off."

"Good point." Hinata resorted to staring at her feet, and conceded that it was going to be a very long night indeed.


	10. The Main Course: Awkward Conversations!

**The Main Course: Awkward Conversations!**

Shortly after everyone had been seated, the food was brought out. A platter of expensive food was passed around, and almost everyone found something to eat… except for Naruto.

When he was sure that no one was looking at him, he pulled a bag of candy from his pocket. He started to munch on it, which Temari saw from the other side of the table.

"Hey, Shorty… what you got there?" She asked, peering across the table.

"None of your business!" Naruto hissed, his mouth full.

"Is that candy? You better give me some!"

"No way! Why would I do that?"

"Give me some or I'll kick you!" Temari tensed her leg under the bench.

"No—OW!" Naruto received a sharp pain in his thigh, and reluctantly passed the bag of candy to Temari's outstretched hand. She quickly dumped the whole thing into her mouth before anyone could see, then crumpled up the bag and tossed it at Shikamaru's head. He twitched, but didn't say anything.

Temari stared at the plastic wrapper as it drifted to the floor, then said, "Are you going to throw that away or not, Shikamaru?"

"Um, no." Shikamaru tried to turn the other way, but Temari pulled him back. He sighed, and got up and threw the garbage away. He returned to his seat, looking very irritated.

"How can you stand her, Shikamaru?" Naruto whispered, while Temari was eating her dinner.

"…I don't." He took a bite of his food and accidentally got some on his face.

Temari groaned, resisting the urge to wipe it off his face. "Are you so stupid that you missed your mouth? Honestly…"

Shikamaru sighed and wiped the food from his face. He looked across from him at Neji. Neji didn't seem to be too talkative right then, so Shikamaru decided to leave him alone. He was about to talk to Choji, but then Neji spoke up unexpectedly.

"…Kill me, Shikamaru." Neji demanded.

"…Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Kill me now!"

Shikamaru put his elbows on the table, only to be slapped by both Ino and Temari. He sighed. "Hey man, kill me first."

"No. Me first!"

"I'm surrounded by blonde, troublesome women who are constantly on my back about everything! I think I deserve it!" Shikamaru muttered, not wanting them to hear.

"I'm being forced to sing Hannah Montana with Lee. Try topping that!!" Neji growled, scaring Shikamaru a little.

Instead of replying, Shikamaru turned his attention to his food. He figured that Neji had gone a little crazy over the past few hours, so he let him be. Next to Neji, Choji was happily chugging down the contents of his plate. He chewed loudly, and Ino gaped at him in disgust.

"Choji, you're such a pig! You and Shikamaru have no manners whatsoever!" Here, she sent her teammate next to her a glare. Shikamaru pretended to be oblivious, and looked at her questioningly. She shook her head, and continued with her rant. "Do you have to stuff your face like that? You guys are _totally_ embarrassing! Why, oh why couldn't I have Sasuke on my team like Sakura??"

Choji, who had finished with his plate, pointed at Ino's untouched platter. "Are you going to eat that?"

Ino pushed her dinner towards him in exasperation, leaning back in her chair. When she did this, Sakura leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Hey, will you _please_ switch with me?"

"No way, Sakura! You and I both agreed that it was strictly against the rules!"

"But I didn't know I'd be sitting across from… _him_!" Sakura glanced nervously across the table, where Lee sat. He was too busy eating to talk at the moment, so he just gave Sakura his trademark smile. She smiled weakly back, and turned toward Ino desperately.

"Sorry Sakura, I'm afraid I can't do that. Honestly, it's not the _worst_ that could happen!" With that, she turned the other way to scold Shikamaru for something else he'd done wrong.

Sakura sighed, and started to pick at her food. She was savoring the quiet until Lee finished his meal and started to talk.

"So Sakura, you look absolutely beautiful tonight! I know I've already said that, but it is true!"

"Thanks Lee… and as I've said before, you also look nice." Sakura grinned, deciding to play along.

"Thank you, Sakura! You have no idea how honored I am to receive such a compliment from you!"

Sakura stuffed her mouth full of food, so that she had an excuse not to talk. She deliberately took a long time to swallow, while Lee patiently waited for her to say something. "Um, Lee, not to be rude or anything, but do you think you could wait until I'm done eating for conversing? I don't want you to need to wait for—"

"Oh, it is no problem, Sakura! Recall what I said a few minutes earlier: I intend to count this as a date! And if we were on a date, then I would eagerly await your answers, no matter how long!" He beamed, satisfied with his explanation.

"Well, while I'm eating, why don't you talk to Tenten?" Tenten's head snapped up at the mention of her name. "She's not talking to Kiba right now, and she's also done with her food." Tenten eyed Sakura suspiciously, as she swallowed her last bit of food.

"I would not talk to a girl next to me on a date with someone else, Sakura!" Lee exclaimed.

Tenten was getting tired of watching Kiba ogling Hinata, so she decided to play along. _Besides, _she thought, _this might turn out sort of fun. _"So you'd rather talk to Sakura than me, your teammate, whom you've known for years?" She turned to him indignantly.

"That is not what I meant—"

"Oh, I know what you meant! You don't ever appreciate me!" She crossed her arms, and winked at Sakura from behind her curtain of hair. Sakura nodded back gratefully, and began to talk with Ino again.

"That is not true! Everyone on our team knows that you are most valuable as a ninja!" Lee stated, completely forgetting Sakura for a moment.

"_Just_ as a ninja! I knew it! You don't even think of me as a friend!" Kiba was now watching Tenten, and was thinking how he would hate to be Lee right now. Hinata was also listening to their conversation in concern. _Tenten, I think you're being a little too harsh… poor Lee…_ She considered interrupting, but decided it wasn't any of her business.

"Whoa, she's almost as intimidating as my sister…" Kankuro breathed. It was the first thing Hinata had heard him say, so she was a little startled.

"Y-Yes… I think she's going a little too far…" Hinata replied in a hushed tone, and then they both returned to their food, though secretly eavesdropping on Lee and Tenten.

"Tenten, you know that you are one of the most important people to me!" Lee exclaimed, exasperated.

"What? Really?" Tenten wasn't expecting that strong of an answer, and was silently pleased.

"Oh! Uh, of course!" Lee glanced around the room, anywhere but Tenten. "Yes… isn't that a beautiful painting, Tenten?" Lee enthusiastically thrust out his arm towards the painting on the wall, urgently wanting to change the subject. "It is quite the artistic representation of a turtle!"

Tenten noticed what Lee was trying to do, but decided to humor him. She examined the painting, and sighed. "…That's a bird, Lee."

"O-Oh, I see… Ah ha… well, it was nice talking to you, Tenten!" He turned away from Tenten, and started talking to Choji, who was a little surprised by Lee's sudden interest, but engaged in the conversation anyway.

Tenten giggled, and turned back to Kiba, who was staring at her. "W-Why you looking at me like that?"

"…You are so cruel." Kiba muttered.

Tenten laughed nervously. _I can't really disagree with that…_

* * *

Meanwhile, Gaara and Sasuke were playing a game of chess with chess pieces made out of Gaara's sand and, so far, Sasuke was winning. He was actually quite good, considering his father had made him play it as a child, saying that it was good for improving his military skills. A few minutes later, Sasuke had his knight in front of Gaara's king.

"Ha, checkmate! At last, I have you—" Suddenly Sasuke saw something that would've been completely impossible anywhere else. The king in front of the knight disintegrated into sand, and appeared again in the suddenly empty slot in front of Sasuke's king.

Sasuke froze, with his mouth still open, as Gaara put on a surprised façade. "Wow, I didn't even see my king over there! Well—" Gaara moved his king and knocked down Sasuke's own, "—it seems like I win once again!"

"WHAT? You cheated!" Sasuke jumped out of his seat, pointing an accusing finger at Gaara. "You used your sand to manipulate the pieces!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS HOW YOU TOTALLY CHEATED!" Sasuke was outraged, considering this was the first time he was about to win. His dad, Itachi, and even his mother were always better than him at chess.

"Man, did he do that to you, too?" Kankuro groaned, "He always does that to me right before I win!"

"Whatever. Come on Sasuke, you know what to do."

"No way! You cheated!" Sasuke yelled, on the brink of losing it.

"You promised."

"BUT YOU CHEATED!!"

"Come on…"

"NO!"

"What do you have to do?" Kiba asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. Everyone leaned in for an answer.

Sasuke grimaced at all the attention. "N-Nothing!"

"He has to say which girl he thinks is the prettiest." Gaara explained, as Sasuke glared. Sakura and Ino were heard squealing and arguing about who he liked more.

"But I'm not going to!" Gaara shot Sasuke a death glare, and Sasuke was convinced. He regained his cool demeanor, and cleared his throat. "Well, I guess I will… it's not like it matters much anyway." He examined everyone sitting at the table, and then turned his head to the painting on the wall. "My, that _is_ a fine painting of a snake."

"It's a bird!"

"It's a turtle!"

"Come on guys, everyone knows that it's an armadillo." Naruto added. Everyone stared at him.

"I thought it was a monkey…" Hinata mumbled.

"That totally looks like a goat!" Kiba pointed out.

"Oh yeah, I kind of see it…" Kankuro murmured, tracing the outline of the supposed goat.

"It's so obviously a bird, guys!" Temari groaned.

"THANK YOU!" Tenten cried, exasperated.

"I don't see anything." Shikamaru grumbled. Temari hit him on the head, and yelled at him for having no artistic insight.

"No, Shikamaru is right." Neji interjected.

"What? I am?"

"It's just an abstract painting. It's not a picture _of_ anything."

"What? That's stupid! What kind of picture is it if it doesn't even have a shape? It's an armadillo, believe it!" Naruto yelled.

"I agree with Naruto! But it's definitely a flower!" Ino explained.

"But maybe it _is_ just an abstract painting—" Sakura started, but she then remembered what they were talking about beforehand, and tapped Ino on the shoulder. "Hey, did Sasuke just change the subject on purpose?"

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about."

"What _was_ I talking about?" Sakura scratched her head, having completely forgotten what she was curious about.

"That's what I just asked you!" Ino shook her head, "Seriously, Sakura! Don't go senile on us quite yet! Anyway, it's time to move on to the next activity! Everyone move to the living room!" Everyone got up from their chairs and went through the doorway. Sasuke lingered behind, silently smiling to himself. _My genjutsu worked like a charm._

* * *

**I don't know why I made Tenten do that. It just sort of came to me. I didn't mean to make her sound so… well… mean. Come to think of it, Temari was pretty mean to Shikamaru too… maybe their food had anger-inducing powder, or something crazy like that. Anyway, hope you're enjoying it so far! **

…**And I think the painting was a picture of a bird, because of the whole 'caged bird' thing. It's also kind of funny how neither Neji NOR Hinata picked up on that. What do you think it is?**


	11. The Storytelling Circle of Horror!

**The Storytelling Circle of Horror!**

Once everyone was settled in the living room, everyone looked at Ino for directions. After a few minutes of this, Shino came in and found everyone ogling Ino. "…What's going on?"

Everyone turned, and suddenly remembered that Shino had not been present for dinner. "Hey Shino, where've you been?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Nowhere. What are you guys doing now?" Shino wondered, taking a seat on the floor.

"We're waiting for Ino to give us instructions on what to do next, but she seems completely oblivious!" Sakura explained.

"What? Why didn't you tell me in the first place! I thought you were all amazed at my gorgeousness!" Ino frowned, a little disappointed by this fact.

"Yeah right!" Sakura scoffed. "Anyway, what _are_ we supposed to do?"

Ino shrugged, flipping onto her stomach. "I don't know! I thought that maybe one of you would have an idea."

"Well, what does Hinata want to do?" Kiba suggested, "She's the birthday girl."

"Okay, what do you want to do, Hinata?" Tenten questioned.

"Um… it doesn't matter…" Hinata didn't like to make decisions. "We could… tell scary stories…?"

"What? Really?" Everyone was taken aback. They thought that this was the last thing Hinata would want to do.

"Yes… I rather like them. But we have to tell them now, s-so it doesn't get too dark!" The group thought about it for a while, but no one seemed to know any scary stories, or was just too shy to be the first one.

Finally, none other than the plucky Naruto stood up, startling everyone. "ALRIGHT! I'm going to tell the scariest story I know, believe it!" He pulled a flashlight out from nowhere and proceeded with his story:

"One night, when I came home from training, I tried to turn on the lights, but they wouldn't respond! Then I heard the strangest creaking from the floorboards, when _no one was even there_. I then walked further in, and entered my kitchen, and lightning flashed! And then this strange scent came from the refrigerator. So I went to open it and to my horror, I saw…" Everyone held their breath, wondering what was coming next.

…THAT I HAD RUN OUT OF INSTANT RAMEN!!"

Everyone was silent. After a lengthy pause, Kiba groaned. "Naruto, that was the worst scary story I have ever heard!" The crowd mumbled in agreement. Sakura smacked him on the head.

"I-It was a nice try, Naruto…" Hinata offered. Kiba rolled his eyes. _She defends _him_…_

Shino sighed, and decided to take a stand. "I guess I'll tell one, even though it may not be any good." He grabbed the flashlight from Naruto and held it under his face. "It starts like this: One dark and stormy night, a group of ninja went out camping on the outskirts of town. They only had with them a—" Shino paused, looking around the room. Everyone was shaking or trembling in some way. "Are you guys okay? I haven't even started the story."

"Yeah, b-but the flashlight—"

"And the v-voice—"

"You're just too creepy, man!" Choji clarified. He took another mouthful of his potato chips.

Shino's brows furrowed, and he turned off the flashlight. "Fine. Someone else, then!"

"Shikamaru, why don't you tell one?" Ino demanded.

"What? That's such a drag…"

"TELL ONE NOW!" Temari chucked the flashlight at his head. It hit him in the forehead, and he moaned.

"Fine, fine! I'm not promising anything though!" He picked up the flashlight and aimed it at his face. "Once upon a time…"

_20 minutes later…_

"…And so, to this day, no one knows where the bodies were buried. Some people say that when they hear the wind whistle through the trees at night… they can also hear the maniac's bloodthirsty cry for human flesh. And that is why you should never walk home alone through an unknown forest. The end." Shikamaru looked up to examine everyone's faces, and was increasingly amused at the results. Everyone had a look of pure terror on their face, and Hinata had passed out clutching Kiba's arm. Naruto left the room, since he was about to wet his pants. Even Shino and Gaara had a twisted look on their faces. Kankuro, however, was the only one completely calm.

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. "Kankuro, you don't look a bit disturbed. Is there something you didn't get…?"

"Nah, it just didn't scare me." Kankuro put his hands behind his head casually.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS??" Choji whimpered, "That was the scariest story I've heard in my life! I am never looking at pandas the same way again." Everyone shuddered simultaneously.

"Try having a compulsive killer as your brother… _who never sleeps_. You fear for your life every single day, never knowing when he is going to snap…!" Kankuro glanced cautiously at his brother. Everyone else did the same, but Gaara seemed totally oblivious.

"…_Ooookay_… Um, what do you guys want to do next?" Temari asked, eager to change the subject. She didn't know how Gaara would react if he figured out Kankuro was talking about him.

"Hey, let's play a prank on Naruto! He's in the bathroom right now, right?" Kiba suggested mischievously.

"Oh yeah! I was wondering why it was so quiet…" Sakura mumbled.

"What should we do?" Ino wondered.

"Um, I-I don't think—"

"OH, I KNOW!" Tenten exclaimed, cutting off Hinata's protest. "I played this prank on Lee once for Halloween! Remember, Lee? When you dressed up as that daisy, or whatever?"

Lee thought for a moment, and then remembered. "I do recall something to that effect. And I think I was a sunflower…"

"Whatever! Do you think we could do it?"

"Oh man, you mean…?" Neji gasped, remembering the Halloween they celebrated only last year.

"Yes, Neji," Tenten rubbed her hands together diabolically, "_that_ Halloween… in Guy's house…"

Neji stared at his teammate, wide eyed. "But… you can't do that! Who knows how it'll effect Naruto!"

"Hey, Lee lived, right?" Shikamaru offered.

"Lee is a totally different person than Naruto."

"Oh Neji, that is so nice of you to say!" Lee ran up to hug Neji, but was quickly shoved away.

"I'M IN!" Everyone shouted (except Hinata), standing up.

"Great! But, considering the circumstances, it'll have to be different… but that might be better! I need kunai, tape, and a whole lot of ketchup. I'll also need all of your participation…"

* * *

**Heh heh, what are our ninja friends up to…?**

**Anyway, thanks for sticking with me through the story. Hope you're enjoying it and please review!**

**Oh, you want to know where Shino was? Well, the world may never know what he was doing, but I realized at the last minute that my seating arrangements left Shino out, so I just made some lame excuse and had him leave. I'll leave your imagination to its job…**


	12. The Halloween Chapter

**The One Trip to the Bathroom That Changed Everything**

When Naruto emerged from the bathroom, he noticed how eerily quiet it had gotten. He walked down the stairs hesitantly, and was further worried at the darkness of the room. Wondering why they had turned off the light, he reached for the switch when he heard a squeal. He froze, listening intently. Then he heard Hinata's voice:

"N-Naruto, don't—!" Suddenly, he heard a thump, and Hinata was silent.

His breathing started to get heavy, and in the dark silence, he heard his own heart drumming in his chest. He reached for the light switch again, and flicked it with trembling fingers.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF RAMEN HAPPENED HERE???"

Everyone was face down on the living room carpet with a kunai stuck in the back of their heads, and surrounded in blood. The only bodies not present were Gaara's and Shino's. Suddenly, Naruto spotted a sphere of sand behind the couch, and Gaara turned out to be in the middle of it.

Naruto ran over to it and knocked on it. "Gaara, you okay in there?" There was no response. "E-Everyone's… they're…"

"…Dead?" Naruto was startled at the sound of Gaara's voice from within the ball.

"Oh, thank goodness, Gaara! What happened?"

"…The bug boy…"

Naruto stared in confusion.

"…That Aburame boy… is on the loose…"

He gasped, shocked. "You mean… SHINO did all this???"

"…Yes… and you'll be next."

"No, please Gaara! Let me in! I can't die yet! I still have to become Hokage, believe it!" Naruto desperately pounded on the solidified sand. Suddenly, he heard the creaking of a door.

"Sorry, you're on your own, Naruto Uzumaki."

"NO! COME ON GAARA, BE A PAL!! FOR A FELLOW SHINOBI?? FOR FIVE BUCKS??"

"…You don't have five bucks, do you?" Gaara clarified.

"W-Well, not on me, but—"

"Then don't make reckless offers! Oh, and he's coming for you…"

That's when Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He ran to the kitchen, and located the fly swatter (he's obviously desperate). He held it up warily, ready to attack any bug coming his way. Shifting his eyes to-and-fro, he backed towards the living room again, when suddenly; he felt something crawling on his foot. He smacked at it, and found it to be just an ant. He let out a sigh of relief, but then quickly froze. Someone was right behind him…

"…A fly swatter, Naruto?" Naruto swiveled, and found himself face-to-face with none other than Shino Aburame, with very fishy red stains on his jacket.

"Sh…Shino, I—"

"You really think that piece of plastic can stop me? I'm offended." His round sunglasses flashed in the moonlight.

"WHY DID YOU DO IT, SHINO???" Naruto cried, having just a flicker of enjoyment. He's always wanted to say that to someone.

"…It doesn't matter _why_. What matters is that I _did_. Now… you're next!!!!" Shino held up a giant knife, taken from the Hyuga's expensive knife kit in the kitchen.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DON'T KILL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Naruto covered his head with the fly swatter.

* * *

Suddenly, he was exposed to bright lights, and blinked. _Am I… in heaven?_ He wondered. He got up, and saw to his amazement that everyone laughing around him.

"…Guys? Am I… we… dead?"

"Of course not, you loser!" Sasuke choked out, nearly dying of laughter.

"Oh geez, did you see his face?" Kiba was rolling on the floor, laughing.

"That was genius, Tenten!" Sakura complimented.

"Thank you, thank you all," Tenten got up and bowed as everyone applauded. "But really, we must thank Shino, for he was the great actor here." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Wait… so you're saying…?" Naruto gaped.

"It was all a trick. A very successful one, at that." Kankuro pulled the 'kunai' from his head, which turned out only to be a hat that made it _seem_ like there was a kunai in your head.

"You… you're all evil!! EVIL, EVIL people! I seriously was worried about everyone! And _you_, Shino Aburame—!"

"Naruto," Shino cut him off, "don't forget who's holding the gigantic knife as you voice your next statement."

"…Are such a great actor! Eh heh, heh…" Naruto laughed nervously, scooting closer to Sakura. As he did, his leg bumped against Hinata's body, which was still on the floor. "But, what happened to Hinata?"

"Probably fainted again," Kiba sighed, "she was the only one against this operation. Hinata, wake up…" He crouched by her, trying to wake her up.

"Well, when she wakes up, I'll have to tell her that she's my new best friend, since all my other ones betrayed me!" Here he shot glares around the room.

Coincidentally, Hinata _did_ wake up. Right at the moment Naruto said that. After a quickly mumbled, "Naruto's best friend…" she fainted again.

_Naruto…_ Hinata thought longingly.

_Naruto…_ Kiba growled.

* * *

**Happy Halloween, readers! I know Halloween must be far in the past now, but right now as I'm writing this, it's Halloween. So I hope you had a Happy Halloween and got lots of candy!**


	13. The Last Minutes of Neji's Dignity

**The Last Minutes of Neji's Dignity**

Once everyone got over their fit of laughter, they had to figure out what to do next. Naruto was left sulking in the corner.

"Well, what's next—?"

"Wait, what time is it?" Temari asked, cutting off Sakura.

"It's 9:26." Gaara replied, having emerged from behind the couch.

Ino gasped. "But that means…!"

"It's time for…" Tenten let the sentence dangle, and sent one very wicked look to her teammate.

Neji, who was still snickering from their prank on Naruto, immediately became horror-stricken. _No…! I have to get out of here…! _He made a scramble for the door, and Tenten quickly followed. She didn't seem capable of catching him in a dress, though.

_Ha! Home free— _the floor suddenly interrupted Neji's thoughts, which was suddenly much closer to his face than a few moments ago. He fell face-forward on the cold, firm wooden floor and was tackled for the second time that day by Tenten. He was about to activate Gentle Fist for the_third_ time that day (he was planning on springing a surprise attack on Lee on the way there), but Tenten, being the wiser, held down his hands first.

"Lee, come help me!"

"Okay!" Neji felt himself being dragged away by Lee. "Come on, Neji! It's time to get ready!"

"NO! Lee, let go of me!" He tried to wrestle his way out, but it was no use. Lee had him in a firm grip.

"Do not succumb to stage-fright, my youthful rival! We will perform wonderfully, and bask in the applause of our peers!"

Neji sighed, deciding that it was no use struggling. He looked back just in time to see Naruto snickering, with his foot out.

"YOU!" Neji cried, realizing that Naruto was the one who tripped him.

"That's what you get, pal." He winked, and then turned his attention to Sakura, who was sitting next to him.

"Neji! We must get into costume!" Lee explained, holding up a blonde wig.

"NO WAY! Haven't you tortured me enough??"

Lee looked at him, puzzled. "Torture?"

Neji sighed. _Why was _I_ stuck with the two craziest ones?? What did I do to deserve _this_?_ Lee, who had rammed the wig on Neji's head, interrupted his thoughts. He already had one on his own head, and looked even stranger than usual. He smiled, and Neji almost mistook him for someone else entirely.

"Look in the mirror! We look absolutely amazing!" Lee put his teammate's face up to the hallway mirror. Neji took one look…

…And fainted.


	14. The Double Whammy Blackmail

**The Double Whammy Blackmail**

"Is Neji ready yet?" Naruto cried impatiently, "I can't wait anymore!"

"Naruto, you _do _want a good show, don't you?" Sakura asked, frustrated. She wouldn't admit it, but she was also getting antsy.

"How long has it been?" Tenten moaned.

"A minute and fifty-two seconds." Gaara replied.

"THAT LONG?"

* * *

"Neji, wake up! It's already been two minutes!" Neji woke up inches from Lee's face and yelped in alarm. He jumped back, completely confused. He rubbed the back of his head, which was starting to throb and get really itchy. _Did I faint _again_? Why…?_ And then he remembered why his head was so irritated.

"Lee…"

"Yes Neji?"

"I can't do this."

"What? Of course you can! We were practicing all day at my house—"

"No! I'm _not_ going on the stage tonight!" Neji took a few steps back toward the window in case he had to make an escape.

"But this is a great opportunity to share our youth to the village!" Lee pleaded.

"LEE IS RIGHT!!" The two jumped in alarm at the voice. They were further surprised to see…

"GUY-SENSEI? What are you doing here? Where did you come from?" Neji questioned, as Lee hugged his sensei.

"I snuck in through that window." Guy pointed to the window Neji was planning to use as an escape route. "When I heard from my rival, Kakashi, that you two were going to sing together, I had to see it for myself!"

"But Guy-sensei—"

"No buts, Neji! Your performance is now considered a mission, and if you fail, I will…" Guy hesitated, not sure which punishment would apply to Neji, "…read your diary out loud to your fellow teammates!"

"That's bluff! Y-You can't possibly know where I've hidden it!" Neji crossed his arms; a little shocked at the lengths his teacher was going to. _Seems like I was stuck with the craziest sensei too… but I knew that a long time ago._

"Tenten and I know where it is!"

_Figures._

"Yeah! When we first became a team, Tenten and I went to your house and Hanabi was carrying it around. She told us where to put it back."

"Hanabi, that menace!" Neji hissed.

"Where is it?" Guy inquired.

"Behind the painting of the turtle."

Neji almost died of exasperation. _FOR THE LOVE OF EXPENSIVE HAIR PRODUCTS! This _cannot_ be happening!_

"Okay Neji, you heard your partner! Now, get on that stage and try your very hardest! I will be the most prominent in the crowd!" With that, Guy sped out of the room, wishing them luck.

Neji looked at Lee's eager face and sighed. "Let's get this over with…" Lee's face glowed, and then he dragged his lethargic equal towards their buzzing peers.

* * *

**As you can probably guess from the shortening chapters, my story is almost finished. Thanks for sticking with me readers! The next chapter will probably be the last!**


	15. The Final Chapter

**The Final Chapter**

"IT'S BEEN FIVE MINUTES ALREADY!! I'M GOING TO GO GET THEM, BELIEVE IT!" Naruto stomped towards the hallway Neji and Lee had gone down only a few minutes ago. Suddenly, his sight was obscured by something massive and green.

"Guy-sensei? What are you doing here?" Tenten demanded.

"Why else would I be here? To see my two male pupils sing in harmony!" Guy strode into the room, pushing Naruto to the side. "My, Tenten, you look simply radiant tonight!"

"Uh, thanks…" Tenten was a little freaked out to have her sensei say that to her, but ignored it. She was just glad that she wasn't in trouble.

"Where are Neji and Lee? They should've been on exactly a minute ago!" Naruto cried.

"Don't worry, they'll be on shortly! Oh, I just can't wait—!"

As if on cue, Lee called out that they were ready.

"Alright, just come up behind the curtain over here." Ino stepped onto the makeshift stage and her silhouette was seen from behind the fabric. Lee's and Neji's soon joined hers, and from behind the white drape, they saw Ino double over in laughter. She emerged laughing, and had trouble walking from her lack of breath. "Okay, okay… oh man! You guys won't believe…!" Once she was standing in the spot she was planning on sitting, she collapsed, still cackling insanely.

"Oookay, does someone have the karaoke CD?" Sakura asked, getting up.

"H-Here!" Hinata handed Sakura the disk she wanted, and Sakura nodded. She approached the CD player, placed the song in the correct slot, and hovered her finger over the play button. "Okay, we start in 3…"

Everyone leaned forward, getting that excited feeling in their stomachs you get when you know something huge is going to happen.

"…2…"

There was a loud intake of breath.

"…1!"

* * *

_A few seconds before Sakura's countdown…_

Neji fidgeted like no other. He nervously peered at Lee, who was jumping up and down excessively. He suddenly realized that something was different about Lee… but what was it?

The sudden realization hit him like a tsunami of body builders on steroids. "Lee, where's your wig??"

"Huh? Oh, Guy-sensei told me to take it off, since it would make my hair all frizzy!" Lee explained, patting down his hair for good measure.

"What? I don't remember him saying that."

"O-Oh, that's because he told me yesterday!" Lee smiled feebly.

"You didn't even know about this thing until this morning, and Guy-sensei has been on a mission for three days." Neji contradicted.

"R-Really? Hmm…" Lee said, stroking his chin dramatically.

"LEE, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU. HOW COME YOU'RE MAKING ME WEAR THIS STUPID THING???"

"Because y-your hair is such a mess right now, and I thought you m-might want to appear nicely for the p-performance—"

"That's it! I'm taking this thing off my head right now!"

"NO, YOU CAN'T!" Lee shouted.

"And why not?"

"BECAUSE I TAPED IT TO YOUR HEAD!"

Neji stared at his teammate in disbelief. Before he could completely explode, they heard Sakura counting down.

"3…"

"If I live through this, Lee…"

"…2…"

"I am going to kick your—!"

"…1!"

Before Neji could finish his unfriendly sentence, the curtains parted and the two performers were exposed to the rest of the Konoha 12, with the music blaring at level eleven.

Lee jumped into the song immediately:

_Don't let no small frustration_

_Ever bring you down_

_No, no, no, no!_

_Just take a situation_

_And turn it all around!!_

"Take it away, Neji!!" Lee pointed at Neji, who was stunned still at the silence of the crowd. He'd expected a huge uproar of laughter. His ears were also recovering from the loudness of the music and Lee's not-so-great vocals. Without thinking, he picked up where Lee left off:

_With a new attitude, anything can change_

_Make it how you want it to be_

_Stayin' sad, why do that?_

_Laugh about it and you'll see…_

_Life's what you make it_

_So let's make it rock! _

_(Make it rock!) _Lee added.

_Life's what you make it_

_So come on_

_(COME ON!)_

_Let's celebrate it_

_Join in everyone _

_You decide_

_(YOU DECIDE!)_ The crowd filled in the song's request.

'_Cause I_

_('CAUSE I!)_

_What you make it!_

_LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT!!!_

The music ended, and by now everyone in the room was laughing. The combined sound of the stereo and the laughter was enough to annoy Tsunade in the Hokage's tower on the other side of the village.

As Neji split his sides with his fellow shinobi, he suddenly grasped that he was actually _enjoying_ himself. This only made him chortle more, and he heard applause and whistles from his friends below. In his delirium, he thought:

_You know… I actually really love my team._

* * *

**THE END!!! **

**TA DA!!!! *Cue confetti and tears of joy* I feel so satisfied now that I'm finished! I'd like to say that I'm sad it's over, but I'm really not. I think a little more than 22 pages of 9-font are good for a sequel. While writing this chapter, I seriously was psyching myself up; I was getting butterflies and everything!**

**Okay, thanks so much for reading until the end; I really appreciate it! I know it's a lot to ask, but would you **_**pretty please**_** leave a review? I need to know if people just hate my story's guts or if they love them (although I'd prefer you love them). **


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